Mercedes-Benz is going all-electric by 2030. That means the brand’s performance arm, Mercedes-AMG, must redefine itself for a world where efficiency trumps style and gurgling, resonant V8s are replaced by a silent whoosh of instant electric motor torque.
AMG’s first crack at resolving that conundrum — at least, in SUV form — is the AMG EQE SUV, and the brand is making sure it’s competitive on paper a competitive punch. It packs more oomph than the combustion Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S, what with the EV’s 617 horsepower and 701 lb-ft of torque. It’s quicker from 0-60 mph, clocking that dash in just over three seconds. It starts at $109,300 — more than $18,000 less than the GLE 63 S. And, most importantly, it’ll never use a drop of gasoline in its life.
All of which sounds great, in theory — but theories are made to be tested. Is the 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV a proper AMG? We drove one around for a week as a family car to find out.
The 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV: What We Think
The AMG EQE SUV exhibits the strengths and pitfalls of Mercedes’s EV development thus far. The technical performance is wonderful; the AMG EQE SUV is shockingly quick and handles well for its size, all without sacrificing comfort. In that sense, it’s a proper AMG SUV. And it offers an eye-catching and tech-forward cabin that feels like a vision of the future, even if it’s not necessarily the vision all of us would prefer.
That said, it’s hard to drive the AMG EQE SUV with the gusto the powertrain suggests. The aero-focused exterior doesn’t exude the gravitas one would expect from a $100,000-plus SUV. Plus, rivals like BMW offer EVs with similar performance that can also deliver more range. Personally, I’d save some cash and consider one of the lesser EQEs instead of going full-fat AMG.
The Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV is alarmingly quick
In lesser EQEs, Mercedes tapers off the horsepower to counter the mammoth torque and provide a more natural (combustion-like) ride. With the AMG EQE SUV, you get to wield the full bore electric might — more than 600 hp and 700 lb-ft of torque in Sport+ mode.
The first thing you notice is it takes off like an absolute bastard. Mercedes lists a 3.4-second 0-60 mph time, on par with the Kia EV6 GT, but that seems conservative. Both Car and Driver and Motor Trend clocked the AMG EQE SUV at just 3.1 seconds in the naught-to-60 sprint.
This acceleration feels more smooth than abrupt from behind the wheel, which can occasionally be problematic. Even delicate inputs on the gas accelerator pedal can cause the EQE AMG to straight-up fly; if I wasn’t constantly diligent with my ankle, I found it impossible to observe — hell, even stay within a reasonable range of — posted speed limits.
The AMG EQE SUV felt nimble, controlled and confident at speed, at least to the extent I could put it through its paces on Michigan roads. And as equipped with my tester’s air suspension, it did so without providing a particularly stiff ride. The rear-wheel steering also offered excellent maneuverability in tight spaces (which can be an issue with other electric SUVs).
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But it’s hard to drive the AMG EQE SUV with gusto
So the on-paper performance really is there. But the AMG EQE SUV makes it hard to really engage with it.
Braking can feel a bit tricky. My AMG EQE SUV tester had the optional carbon ceramic brakes, but the electric motors’ ability to decelerate the car without even using said stoppers is anything but underpowered. When using the car’s active regen, I had to keep pressure on the gas pedal when slowing down to avoid my forward moment abruptly coming down like I hit a wall of bricks.
Like other Mercedes EVs, the AMG EQE SUV’s brake pedals move physically along with the motors’ regen, which means the pedal may not be where you expect it to be when you move your foot over. It’s not dangerous, but it’s not really intuitive either. And it’s hard to give a car full beans (especially one as heavy as this) without quite knowing what’s happening with its brakes.
Sound is typically part of the fun with a sporty car, and Mercedes attempted to provide that here with its so-called “AMG Sound Performance.” The intensity of its synthetic tone coming through the car’s speakers ratchets up as you dial up increasingly intense drive modes. Like most EV efforts thus far, it’s tough to describe … and kind of weird and unpleasant to my ears. If you can live without Race Start (a.k.a. launch control) and the speed delimiter that raises Vmax to 149 mph, I’d forego the AMG Dynamic Plus package entirely and save $4,000.
I’m not a huge fan of the 55-inch Hyperscreen
The AMG EQE SUV packs Mercedes’s new 55-inch MBUX Hyperscreen, which is really three displays (instrument, infotainment, passenger) stretched across a continuous piece of glass. It’s a sight to behold in an already stylish and premium-feeling interior; I had relatives staring into the car to check it out all week. It’s also straightforward to use, with quick processing and an expansive screen that can do all kinds of cool things with map displays.
But I’m not sure I’d want the Hyperscreen on my car. It felt like a lot of lights were flashing and activities were happening just outside my viewing radius while driving, which was annoying. It also moves some vital buttons — particularly the hazard lights — to a less-than-ideal spot next to the cupholders. I caused three inadvertent hazard deployments in a week either via my right arm or my wife’s purse.
And the AMG EQE SUV doesn’t really look the part
Gas-powered AMGs have a certain look, one that projects power and a sinister nature. That doesn’t really come across with the AMG EQE SUV. Aero trumped style on the base model EQE, which looks like a sleek potato … and it’s hard to give the AMG treatment to a car that looks like a potato. I found myself having to explain how pricey the AMG EQE SUV was to friends and family, as it wasn’t readily apparent from the outside.
Conducting some unscientific testing, I parked the AMG EQE SUV at a valet before a Santa brunch. The lot has a section up front for the super-fancy cars, yet despite being the most expensive car there by tens of thousands of dollars, the teenage valets parked the AMG EQE SUV way in the back.
What are some Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV alternatives?
BMW offers the closest EV rival for the AMG EQE SUV, in the form of the iX M60. It has a bit less power and a bit more torque and starts at a nearly identical price, but offers more real-world range. Someone dropping six-figure change on an electric SUV is likely considering a Rivian R1S and a Tesla Model X Plaid, too. It’s hard to view the AMG EQE SUV as a value proposition compared to those competitors.
Rolling on 21-inch wheels, the AMG EQE SUV delivers just 235 miles of EPA range. Its aforementioned competitors are above (or in BMW’s case, very close to) 300 miles. The Model X Plaid is half a second quicker to 60 mph, beats the AMG EQE SUV by 91 miles on range (at least, on paper) and starts $14,000 cheaper.
Counterpoint: AMG’s first EV SUV could use more time in the oven
AMG seems to be having a trickier time than many a car brand finding out how to adapt to the new electric era. There’s no shame in that, but it does mean that the company’s first few cracks, such as this and the AMG EQS, feel a little undercooked for a vehicle from Affalterbach.
While the performance is stupendous off the line and on the roll, slowing and turning don’t exactly inspire confidence. On my tester, it felt like the carbon-ceramic brakes and the electric motor regen function weren’t speaking the same language; the pedal would be soft at first touch, but once the physical brakes engaged with the pedal about halfway to the floor, they’d do so with a full ABS crunch. Even with regen fully disengaged, the pedal felt mushy and anything but progressive — hardly what you want when driving a three-ton bolide.
The rear-wheel-steering system, meanwhile, seemed to give the AMG EQE SUV (say that five times fast) two left feet when dancing through turns on back roads. Since it varies the angle that the wheel turns based on speed, you get a noticeably different effect at 30 and 50 miles per hour, which in turn makes it hard to know what to expect when you’re coming up quick on a bend. Some automakers have found ways to make rear-wheel steering work smoothly, but Mercedes seems to still be working out the kinks; I felt something similar on the Mercedes-AMG SL 63, although much less extreme.
Honestly, the lack of natural, entertaining driving feel seems like a bigger issue than the missing V8 power, sound and character. It’s possible for AMG to redefine itself without the eight-cylinder motor, but its products need to be fun to drive in ways beyond thrust to succeed in the EV era. —Will Sabel Courtney
The 2024 Mercedes AMG EQE SUV
Pros
- Incredibly Quick Acceleration
- Excellent body control and handling
- Comfortable ride
- Futuristic, Tech-Forward interior
Cons
- Exterior is underwhelming
- Low EV range vs. competitors
- Braking feel can be tough to get used to
Powertrain: Dual-motor electric drive, AWD
Horsepower: 617
Torque: 701 lb-ft
EPA Range: 235 miles
Seats: 5
